Canadian filmmaker James Cameron to explore world's deepest ocean

Canadian filmmaker and "Titanic" director James Cameron is set to go down 6.8 miles (11 kilometers) down in the Pacific Ocean to visit and explore the Challenger Deep, the world's deepest ocean trench.

Challenger Deep is located in the Mariana Island group near Fais Island and Guam. It was named after HMS Challenger, a British Royal Navy survey ship which made an expedition in 1872 to record the deep of the trench.

So far only one manned sea craft reached the bottom of the Challenger Deep. The diving research boat known as "Trieste" and crewed by Jacques Piccard (son of the boat's designer Auguste Piccard) and U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh, explored the trench in January 1960. There were two other recorded expeditions but they were unmanned.

If plans do not miscarry, director Cameron who is turning 57 will be the third person to explore the world's deepest underwater trench.

Among other things, Cameron will try to collect debris or samples and photograph sights in the Challenger Deep for his exploration and film making project.

According to AFP, "Cameron would seek to accomplish his feat aboard a submersible “as futuristic as anything in his movies,” the National Geographic scientific institution, which has partnered with the Canadian filmmaker for the Deepsea Challenge project."

On Tuesday, Cameron had a test expedition off Papua, New Guinea where he descended 5.1 miles alone in the deep, making him the only person to do it on a solo mission. His goal is to do his own record on his planned Challenger Deep mission.

Using the Australian-built DeepSea Challenge Submarine which was designed to fit just one person, Cameron will travel the 6.8 -mile trip down to the earth's deepest ocean floor with only his filming equipment in tow.

Cameron aims to capture the view of the Challenger Deep on a 3D video footage. The National Geographic has already created a web page on Cameron's deep water exploration as shown here.